Olympic Man

(A children’s talk suitable at a time of a major sporting event.)

Theme:
Jesus is our personal trainer

Objective:
1. To teach that Jesus is our expert trainer.

Focus Words:
1. Training
2. Super Coach

Materials:
1. Print the Olympic circles on A4 paper.
2. A high visibility vest.
3. Double sided tape.
4. Various sports equipment.
(I was able to find in my shed: a bike helmet, an oar from an inflatable boat, swim goggles, and a table tennis bat.)
5. A collection of ‘gold medals’ the sort with the foil wrapper and the chocolate inside. (Have enough for every child.)

Preparation:
1. Use the double sided tape to attach the paper with the Olympic circles to the back of the vest.
2. Time to dress up with your sporting equipment. As for me, I put on the vest, the bike helmet on my head, and the swim goggles around my neck. Then I carried the oar and bat in my hands, and I’m ready to go.
3. The context: you are Olympic Man. You have been training for all the sports represented by the items with you.
4. Humour.

Drama Points:
1. When the children are in place, start straight away it helps to settle them.

2. Make a grand entry. Run in like a field and track athlete. “Good morning everyone; as you can see, I’m Olympic Man. I’ve been training for the Olympic Games. I wasn’t able to qualify for the Olympic Games in London, which is why I am still here. I need to train harder for the next Olympic Games in Rio in four years time.”

(During your presentation, be animated, and move about as if training for the Olympic Games.)

4. “Training is hard work. There is no one to help me. Trainers and coaches are expensive; they cost a lot of money so I have to do this all by myself.

5. “And yet, I do have a personal trainer, a super coach that helps me train every day. He is your trainer and coach as well. His name is Jesus.”

6. “Jesus is our Super Coach. He is not training us to build big muscles, he is not training us to run faster or jump higher. He is training you and me in something that is much harder to win than a gold medal. He is training us to life a good life. And he is doing this for free.”

7. “Jesus, our Super Coach is training us how to love each other. He is training us how to share the things we have with other people. He is training us how to forgive and how to say sorry to each other. All these things are hard to do.”

8. “Jesus is our Super Coach because he is the expert in all these things, and he is the best one to teach us. Jesus loves us. He forgives us our sins, and shares all the good things he has with us.

9. “The more time we spend with our Trainer, our Super Coach then the better we become. Look! We are spending time with Jesus this Sunday morning. Right now, he is training us.

10. “Jesus won’t be giving out gold medals. He will be giving us something more valuable than gold. He will be giving us joy and peace, and friends in our life.”

11. “Talking about gold medals. How do you think I will go in the next Olympic Games? Put your hand up if you think I have a chance in winning gold? What about silver? Should I stay home?”

12. Let us finish with prayer. “Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and being our Super Coach. Help us to spend time with you so that you can train us to love and to forgive each other. Give us joy and peace in our life. Amen.”

(Before the children return to their seats, hand out the chocolate gold medals as a reminder that Jesus is our Super Coach.)